Evidence of Differing Effects of Inaccurate Perceptions of a Child’s Ability Between Mothers and Teachers

• In Event: Family Practices and Family Involvement Praxis

Abstract

The research on teachers’ inaccurately perceptions of abilities has found that teacher’s inaccurate high expectations are related to higher levels of student achievement. The scant research on mothers’ inaccurate expectations suggests that mothers’ misperceptions follow a similar pattern; maternal overestimations are associated with higher educational attainment than accurate or underestimation. Yet, developmental theory suggests that accurate estimates of child abilities by parents are related to more effective scaffolding, which lead to better outcomes. This conflict in the literature is explored here. Results found accurate estimations of a child’s abilities by his mother but overestimation of that child’s abilities by his third-grade teacher were related to higher math and reading achievement scores in the fifth grade.

Author

• Nicole S. Sorhagen, Temple University